The Caleb Williams-Joe Montana moment at USC-Notre Dame game that impressed Bears GM Ryan Poles

The Chicago Bears are entering an exciting phase ahead of the 2024-25 season. Chicago acquired former USC football star Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 Draft. The moment GM Ryan Poles felt Williams would be a great selection happened on October 14th’s USC-Notre Dame game, in which legendary quarterback Joe Montana happened to be attending.

Williams noticed Montana on the sidelines when USC was warming and made a point to go over and greet the Notre Dame legend. Ryan Poles found Williams’ gesture highly impressive.

“They went to do some special teams things, he took his helmet off, ran over and shook his hand. For a young kid to go up to a quarterback like that, Hall of Famer, and not as an, ‘I’m in the same circle as you’, but ‘I look up to you’, and, yet, there wasn’t this college fear of talking to an adult. He did it with confidence and swagger, but a ton of respect and humility at the same time—I couldn’t get that out of my mind,” Poles said, per Sports Illustrated.

Williams and USC ended up losing the game despite Joe Montana’s presence. However, Williams’ conduct and body language during the game left a positive impression on Poles.

“You saw a lot of encouragement with teammates, even after the interceptions,” Poles said. “You saw frustration, too, because it matters to him. But you never saw it become disruptive. You never saw teammates run away from him, or him run away and be by himself, away from his teammates. You saw him talking with the coaches trying to find solutions.”

It seems Williams’ intangibles helped him earn the favor of Ryan Poles and the rest of the Bears’ leadership. Nevertheless, Williams’ on-the-field production is also worth the hype.

Caleb Williams looks to take Bears to the next level

Williams started his college football career with the Oklahoma Sooners before transferring to USC for his sophomore year in 2022. His move to Southern California turned out to be life-changing.

After throwing for 1,912 passing yards and 21 touchdowns during his freshman year at OU, Williams lept to a whopping 4,537 yards and 42 TDs during his first year at USC. As a result, he won the prestigious Heisman Trophy honor over other talented players including 2023-24 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and former Ohio State standout CJ Stroud.

Williams followed his stellar year up with another round of respectable production. However, he and his team did not reach the same previous heights.

He amassed 3,622 yards and 30 TDs in his junior year while playing through a sprained pinky finger. In the end, Williams led the Trojans to a 7-5 regular season record, which was slightly disappointing considering the team advanced to the 2022-23 Pac-12 Championship a year prior.

Nevertheless, Williams had an outstanding college career and has the potential to develop into a standout professional quarterback.

The star QB joins a respectable group that features DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and a handful of stout defensive talent. As Chicago ushers in a new era, Caleb Williams looks to be at the forefront of newfound success.